CD Reviews

Michael Kamen's first - and best - movie score

langleybcguy | Langley, BC, Canada | 08/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before his work on the 'Die Hard' & 'Lethal Weapon' films, there was Michael Kamen's 'The Dead Zone'. This has to be one of the best scores produced for a Stephen King film, and is FAR superior to Kamen's work in 'Lethal Weapon', which had far too much influence from Eric Clapton & the rock n'roll aspect. 'The Dead Zone' features a sad, melancholy melody which appears in a few tracks but most prominently in the first one; we could easily consider this 'Johnny Smith's Theme', in reference to the charcter played by Christopher Walken. The theme is a wonderful combination of bassoon, strings, and woodwinds portraying a sad, melancholy man who is faced with an unwanted psychic ability, the loss of his fiancee to another man, and the loss of his job to his prolonged coma. Other tracks portray the events in the movie well, such as '1st vision - 2nd sight' when Johnny catches his first horrific vision of a nurse's young daughter cornered by a fire in her home, and 'Coda to a Coma - The Balcony', when Johnny rises from his hiding place to gun down psychopathic would-be president Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen). This is a little-known score due to its age (the movie was made in 1983), and the composer was even lesser-known at the time, but today it surpasses any of Kamen's other scores. Not to mention it is the best Stephen King film score of any I've seen. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!"

The Dead Zone

Anthony Vera | 08/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The book was great, the movie was great, and the soundtrack is, surprise, great too.Themaintheme is hauntingly beautiful. Honestly, I wouldnt recommend this cd if you were depressed but unfortunately, thats the story of THE DEAD ZONE...no happy ending here folks. So with that in mind, listen to the main theme, envision the struggle of Johnny and his DEAD ZONE. A Somber sound for a somber(but Brilliant) story and movie. Stephen King Rocks, Chistopher Walken Rocks, Michael Kamen Rocks."